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Mirirai Nsingo
A Zimbabwean model is making strides in Italy as she was recently featured in one of the most watched hit television game shows, “Guess my age”. Zimbabwean-born Angeline Tanyaradzwa Taderera was one of the participants on the Italian game show which has a million viewers, a platform she feels is good for her career.

The 31-year-old who moved to Italy in 2015 says making it to the top on Italy’s most watched television show was a great achievement which she believes could propel her career to greater heights in the foreign land.

“Guess my age” is one of the high-rated television programmes and it has been nationally syndicated in Italy from the early 2000s to date.

“I’m one of the few people of colour from Africa to have ever been featured on the Italian television series, and any model would kill for such an opportunity,” she said from her Milan base.

The mother of two says while life as a model has not been all rosy in the foreign land; she is however very ecstatic that she could be recognised and hence grab the unique opportunity to be on the Italian screen.

“This (game show) is a platform which increases my exposure and experience in the modelling and entertainment industry. This will make it easier for me to get other jobs in future,” she said ecstatically.

On how she got selected to be a participant in the game show, the Mutare-born model says she was surprised when directors she had previously worked with emailed her asking her to attend a casting of the “Guess my age” game show. And the rest, as they say, is no doubt history and she became a hit.

“They contacted me and suggested that I should attend the casting of the game show by Enrico Papi. There was a high turnout at the casting such that I started to doubt my chances of being selected,” she said.

“To be honest I was not confident that I would be selected and it really came as a great surprise when I was chosen,” she added.
The game show has those participating asked to guess a model’s age and when they get the age right, they win money and lose when they don’t guess it right.

In the hit game show, to win a fortune, you will have one and only goal: find out the exact age of six complete strangers!
Tanya said her most memorable moment during the show was when all participants failed to guess her age and realised that she was nine years older than they had anticipated.

“I became the favourite in the game show and I’m pleased to say that several model agent assessments in Italy rank me as one of the fastest rising artists in the European country,” she said excitedly.

The model, who began her career as a beauty consultant for Flori Roberts in 2006 after moving to Harare in 2006, said she has had to work hard to be where she is today.

“I went to Rampanepasi Primary and Secondary School before moving to Harare to pursue a career in modelling and beauty consultancy.

“My mother died when I was 18, and you know this was at the time when I needed her guidance more than any other time as I was just starting life as an adult. I had to do what I had to, to achieve my dreams hence my decision to move to Harare to pursue my career.

“Growing up as a little girl, I have always wanted to be a model who would feature on television so participating in this gameshow which has million plus viewers is a dream come true. I had to pursue a career which is basically looked down upon back in Zimbabwe; modelling is not considered as a career.”

“I remember a lot of people advised me otherwise about my decision of being a model, but I was determined to even without their support,” Tanya said.

After starting off as a beauty consultant at Flori Roberts, Tanya said she did her first modelling course in 2011 at Prestige Modelling agency before doing another international modelling course at Top Model Zimbabwe.

“I knew what I wanted and I just had to get skills, grooming and all that it took to be a great model. When the opportunity came, I seized it and moved to Italy in 2015 and here I am.”

She has also participated on a live based internet reality show dubbed LiveMe which is almost similar to the Big Brother version.“My participation on LiveMe has also increased my popularity in Italy and I’m glad to say in less than three months, I had gained over 36 000 loyal followers on the show.

“LiveMe draws European, American and African audiences and because I can speak English, Spanish, Shona and a bit of Spanish, this has made me a favourite of many, displacing many on my way to the top as the number one reality star on LiveMe.”

Tanya admits that her move to Italy to pursue her career also came with its own challenges adding that determination has kept her going.

“It is not easy to be recognised as a model let alone in a foreign land and because of the language barrier, this success that I’m witnessing at the moment did not come easily.

“I had to on my body to keep fit, had to learn the language (Italian) so that I could ease on communication. Before I learnt Italian, It was very difficult for me to apply for castings during the first year.

“I had to learn the language as fast as I could and doubling as a mother was not easy for me as my children also needed my care in the foreign land. I still remember after learning Italian how I landed the first commercial in 2016, this changed my life and it has been game on since then,” Tanya added.Tanya said she had also continued with her beauty consultancy work in Italy where she has also made a name.

“I had to do all I could considering that I had migrated to one of the world’s fashion forward city, Milan. The completion was fierce and still is, but I’m glad that I have worked and impressed hence making a name for myself.”

Not even motherhood could bring her down or at least affect her modelling career. Tanya said she owes all this to God, keeping fit and determination.

“Raising children in a foreign land on your won is no easy task let alone when you are pursuing a modelling career. All I can say is that this body is like a muscle, one has to work hard to keep in shape, and all mothers can still stay young and beautiful.”
Tanya believes cultural barriers keep most women especially in Africa trapped and so many a times fail to pursue their dreams. She said refused to let culture be a barrier to her success.

“The most important thing is not to get yourself extremely trapped in your culture, and don’t allow you mind and body to refuse adopting new cultures.